Tucked in the jumble of granite peaks and valleys that make up the Dlangeni hills, Swaziland's administrative capital,
MBABANE (pronounced "M-buh-ban"), is small, relaxed and unpretentious, with a population of only 90,000. The most popular route into Swaziland, through the Oshoek/Ngwenya border post, is only 20km west of Mbabane; the city roughly marks the point where the mountainous southern African highveld descends briefly into middleveld, before bottoming out further east as dry lowveld. This is a good base from which to start exploring Swaziland, especially if you're without your own transport: the
Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary lies not far south, and the royal village of
Lobamba makes an easy day-trip - vital if you're here when the
Umhlanga or
Ncwala ceremonies take place. There's not much to do in the city, but many visitors find it more agreeable than hectic
Manzini , especially if you need to change money, find a comfortable bed or plan your trip ahead.
The City
Mbabane's hilly
centre is a pleasant jumble of office blocks, markets, plazas and shacks that you can very easily explore on foot - which is just as well, as driving here can be stressful without a sound grasp of the street layout.
Allister Miller Street is the closest the city has to a main street; running south into the central business district (CBD), it's lined in parts by colonial administrative buildings which are attractive to look at, but can only be entered on official business. At the end of Allister Miller Street, on the banks of the Mbabane River, lies the
Swazi Market , with neat rows of curio stalls with a colourful selection of handicrafts and, though prices aren't cheap, you can always haggle. It's just as interesting wandering further into the market, where fresh fruit and vegetable stalls make for a colourful scene (though prices here aren't negotiable).
The main focus of the city centre, however, is the sprawl of shopping malls down the hill from Allister Miller Street. Most of Mbabane's main shops, banks and services are located in either the Swazi Plaza or the more upmarket Mall and New Mall . Alongside the Swazi Plaza is the busy bus and taxi rank.
